The Advance published its 38th Annual Cookbook in Sunday’s paper. Why don’t you consider entering the contest next time around? You’ll have until November to repackage all that good kitchen karma into potentially prize-winning recipes.

Here’s a suggestion: Chronicle your most awesome dishes in the next several months, ones that are inspired by the seasons. Remember, Advance readers hold on to that annual Cookbook. Home cooks from the region who have their hands on this year’s edition will cherish the tome for recipe inspiration over the year(s).

So let’s say, in July, you whip up a mean salsa verde from a basket of Greenmarket produce such as tomatillos, cilantro and Hungarian garlic. Or perhaps you’ve finally figured out how to turn your husband’s fresh-caught bluefish into a delicious Manhattan-style chowder, an early fall dish that could incorporate tomatoes and fresh herbs from the garden.

Even if you don’t enter the Advance contest to win next year, use the Cookbook tradition as an opportunity to document your family’s recipes. Cooking and the process of recording the steps for particular dishes are memorable events for young chefs. And, like the annual Cookbook, those times in the kitchen are memories to savor.

INFO BOX:
Tips for competing cooks

While you’re working up an appetite for the 2012 Advance Cookbook competition, keep the accompanying tips in mind. The advice is good for national contests as well.

List ingredients in order.

Start at the beginning.

Think about the recipe visually. It might be helpful to recreate the dish and have a friend or relative record measurements and steps as you call them out.
Include serving suggestions.
Other cooks who might read your recipe are interested in knowing what sides or wines were successful pairings.

Feel free to make comments like “serve over basmati rice” or “present alongside polenta topped with Parmesan shaves.”
Remember to include the yield.

Always note how many portions the recipe makes. For fluid dishes like soups and beverages, it is helpful to fellow cooks to know yield in cups, quarts or gallons.
Make it legible.

For judges, it is ideal to vet clearly printed recipes. That is why it is best to type or e-mail submissions so measurements are accurate.

Also, SILive.com has a Cookbook entry form that allows for easy electronic transmission.
Don’t plagiarize.
It’s one thing to get inspiration from venues like Bon Appetit or Dashmagazine.com.

It’s another if you use your dear aunt’s booze-based cheesecake formula that happens to be word-for-word from a 1972 New York Times Food section.

So take a moment to Google recipes by searching all the ingredients and measurements: If there’s an exact match out there on the Web, it’s not a family original.
Presentation matters.

At the competition itself — the Advance’s annual showdown is called the Taste-off — present food in casseroles or on platters that you would use at home. Keep dishes at the proper temperature — hot foods hot, cold foods chilled — to make them taste their best for the judges.

Also, while garnishes and decorations are important, you want the dish to shine. Therefore, keep frills down to a minimum: Simple touches often make the most elegant entries.